Tag: blood donation

For months, the Zika virus, which is spread through mosquito bites, has remained in the headlines as the potential threat continues throughout the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that while there have been no local mosquito-borne Zika disease cases reported in the U.S., the cases that have been reported have been associated with travel… Read more →

Donating blood does the world a lot of good. You know that. But frankly, the actual experience of donating blood can be a little dull. When you donate blood, you sit down and wait for the blood to ooze out into the containers. Great work, sure, but it’s not necessarily a great time. But if you are creative, you… Read more →

Donating blood saves lives. Patients the world over, who suffer from a multitude of conditions, need blood. The blood transfusion process seems pretty simple, right? Just take one person’s blood and stick in the veins of another person. Wrong. Blood transfusion is complex, and without proper safeguards, the process would be incredible risky. In fact, blood transfusions used to be… Read more →

Donating blood is usually perceived as something donors do to help other people. And that’s good—donating blood does help countless people the world over every day. Blood donations help people with chronic diseases, victims of severe trauma, and people in many vulnerable positions. But does donating blood also help donor? Some say yes. This may seem counterintuitive—less blood should… Read more →

Blood donations are always needed. Maybe you’ve already heard some the statistics: A single car accident victim may need up to 100 units of blood or somewhere in the U.S., every 2 seconds, someone needs blood. If you’re waiting for the perfect season or the right time to attend a blood drive, the time is now. If you need more… Read more →

Blood is by far one of the most crucial components of the entire body. It performs a large number of functions that are crucial the overall wellbeing of the individual. Blood regulates homeostasis, provides nutrients to the various parts of the body and takes away toxins to the appropriate organs for disposal. However, there are many diseases which results in… Read more →

We’ve all seen them—big vans with smiling nurses outside, and people waiting in line to do a good deed: donate blood to those who desperately need it. Maybe you regularly donate blood. Or, maybe you normally walk past the vans, thinking how nice it is that people take part, but don’t sign up to donate yourself. Whether it’s for the… Read more →

The National Institute of Health funded a study of blood donors in an effort to determine the efficacy of adding low dose iron supplements after a donation. Giving blood is a selfless and important form of volunteerism in its purest form: the blood will go to an unknown person in most cases. The dedicated blood donor is allowed to give… Read more →

Every two seconds in the United States, someone is in need of a blood transfusion, according to the American Red Cross. Thanks to the efficiency of current practices, in most scenarios that blood is already on the shelf awaiting the need. The fact that most patients can be given a transfusion at a moment’s notice saves countless lives every year.… Read more →

When envisioning what a blood donation may look like, an image of what is called a ‘whole blood’ donation often comes to mind. In a whole blood donation, a donor will sit down, an IV needle will be inserted into his arm, and one pint of blood will be collected into a clear bag suspended above him. While it is… Read more →